# Trump wants a US space force **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 18, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341 "2018-06-18T21:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/122 "2018-06-25T00:49:40Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > What about space pirates? Are they real? 'Cause I have a, uh, friend who might be interested in joining such an organization. Yeah, I have a doctor’s note saying I can’t train as rigorously as a Space Force Astronaut would have to, but the training for Space Pirate is easier (though it’s tougher on your liver, and you never go to bed before 3 am). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/123 "2018-06-25T00:57:17Z")
Best thing about a Space Force? Bone spurs won’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/124 "2018-06-25T01:08:13Z")
And, if you stay up there long enough, you can get to that magic 6’3. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/125 "2018-06-25T13:38:52Z")
Space pirates are fantasy, unless you’re Mark Watney. He’s a real space pirate. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/126 "2018-06-25T14:04:27Z")
Has anyone made the obvious “Space Farce” crack yet? If not, dibs. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/127 "2018-06-26T19:37:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Laser weapons are real. Orbital laser weapons are fantasy. Are you suggesting lasers cannot be on satellites? If so you are wrong. Actually, in space, they have a 360-degree attacking point and can be moved to any location in orbit. The lasers on navy ships have to deal with waves and such, yet look at how accurate they are. In the future, lasers will become better in all aspects such as range, and destructive power. You don’t need to be a Nostradamus to see where this is going, and how it will matter in protecting the Earth from Asteroids, or say targeting the enemy down below. Trump has the vision, he knows why a space force can be beneficial to the USA armed forces. You might also want to check out the electromagnetic railgun, which can fire shells at over 5,000 MPH. This is over 7,333 feet a second, a mile is 5,280 feet by the way. At such a speed, you do not even need an explosive device. It is possible that this type of weapon can also be placed in space, and fired down to a target on the Earth at a speed where it speed where the atmosphere doesn’t have enough time to completely burn it up. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/128 "2018-06-26T19:49:42Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > Are you suggesting lasers cannot be on satellites? If so you are wrong. > > Actually, in space, they have a 360-degree attacking point and can be moved to any location in orbit. > > The lasers on navy ships have to deal with waves and such, yet look at how accurate they are. In the future, lasers will become better in all aspects such as range, and destructive power. > > You don’t need to be a Nostradamus to see where this is going, and how it will matter in protecting the Earth from Asteroids, or say targeting the enemy down below. > > Trump has the vision, he knows why a space force can be beneficial to the USA armed forces. > > You might also want to check out the electromagnetic railgun, which can fire shells at over 5,000 MPH. This is over 7,333 feet a second, a mile is 5,280 feet by the way. At such a speed, you do not even need an explosive device. It is possible that this type of weapon can also be placed in space, and fired down to a target on the Earth at a speed where it speed where the atmosphere doesn’t have enough time to completely burn it up. Isn’t the problem with stationing laser weapons in space orbit that such weapons require utterly enormous amounts of electrical power, so much so that they are impractical to put on a satellite (unless it’s a huge sat that has an onboard nuclear reactor or something?) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/129 "2018-06-26T20:03:04Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Isn’t the problem with stationing laser weapons in space orbit that such weapons require utterly enormous amounts of electrical power, so much so that they are impractical to put on a satellite (unless it’s a huge sat that has an onboard nuclear reactor or something?) I would say the issue is actually treaties that forbid this sort of thing. IIRC, NASA actually had plans for a high powered orbital laser system to shoot space junk, but it got quashed because the Outer Space Treaty would be violated. Not sure if this is what Chronos is alluding too or not…certainly from a technical perspective there is nothing impossible engineering wise to putting a large laser in space. Even power constraints could be gotten around, depending on how rapidly you wanted to fire the thing. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/130 "2018-06-26T20:09:38Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > Are you suggesting lasers cannot be on satellites? Certainly not. What would you use one for? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/131 "2018-06-26T20:12:30Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Isn’t the problem with stationing laser weapons in space orbit that such weapons require utterly enormous amounts of electrical power, so much so that they are impractical to put on a satellite (unless it’s a huge sat that has an onboard nuclear reactor or something?) That is a good question. Whatever the power source used on the ship to fire the weapon would be the current answer. The laser weapon itself is not very big. Presumably, there is an energy magazine attached to the laser. I did read the cost per shot is less than a dollar, so it can’t be that expensive to produce the power. Maybe the Satellite itself would have to be a bit bigger than normal. Either way, this is part of the future of armed defense, no questions there. Lasers are not affected by gravity or windand move at the speed of light. As such their accuracy is nearly perfect. Mounted on a satiate that can read a license plate from space, or linked into a drone in the sky for targeting its a very fearsome type of weapon that could control an area and strike a target with no time for defense. Any visible target including people. If such a weapon was deployable, you probably would not need much of a ground force to maintain order. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/132 "2018-06-26T20:15:06Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Certainly not. What would you use one for? For practical use, there is a lot of space junk that needs to be either destroyed or collected as something as small as a quarter moving at great speed in space can cause damage. For military use, read the examples I gave in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/133 "2018-06-26T20:32:21Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > Are you suggesting lasers cannot be on satellites? If so you are wrong. > > Actually, in space, they have a 360-degree attacking point and can be moved to any location in orbit. > > The lasers on navy ships have to deal with waves and such, yet look at how accurate they are. In the future, lasers will become better in all aspects such as range, and destructive power. > > You don’t need to be a Nostradamus to see where this is going, and how it will matter in protecting the Earth from Asteroids, or say targeting the enemy down below. > > Trump has the vision, he knows why a space force can be beneficial to the USA armed forces. > > You might also want to check out the electromagnetic railgun, which can fire shells at over 5,000 MPH. This is over 7,333 feet a second, a mile is 5,280 feet by the way. At such a speed, you do not even need an explosive device. It is possible that this type of weapon can also be placed in space, and fired down to a target on the Earth at a speed where it speed where the atmosphere doesn’t have enough time to completely burn it up. None of this has jack-all to do with a Space Force, which is a proposal to create bureaucracy, not invent superweapons. > [@Silver\_lining](#): > > That is a good question. Whatever the power source used on the ship to fire the weapon would be the current answer. The laser weapon itself is not very big. Presumably, there is an energy magazine attached to the laser. I did read the cost per shot is less than a dollar, so it can’t be that expensive to produce the power. Do you know what an LM2500 turbine engine is, how much it weighs, and how many of them have been put in space? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/134 "2018-06-26T21:07:35Z")
> [@Silver\_lining](#): > > For military use, read the examples I gave in the thread. I see you mentioned “_targeting the enemy down below_”. You honestly think that is feasible? Because, my understanding of laser physics suggests that you have no clue here and ought not be promulgating the thing that this board is aimed at fighting. In fact, I even doubt the real feasibility of using lasers on asteroids. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/135 "2018-06-26T21:23:09Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Do you know what an LM2500 turbine engine is, how much it weighs, and how many of them have been put in space? Don’t worry. Trump surely has a plan to boost US heavy launch capacity to put destroyers in space. I mean, it’s not like he ever talks out of his arse or anything. He’s got vision! ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/136 "2018-06-26T21:24:07Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … US heavy launch capacity … Clearly we need to establish a Space Merchant Marine to deal with this issue! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/137 "2018-06-26T21:27:02Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Clearly we need to establish a Space Merchant Marine to deal with this issue! Presumably we’ll have a Space National Guard, too, which will have to drill using recommissioned Saturn Vs. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/138 "2018-06-26T21:34:14Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > None of this has jack-all to do with a Space Force, which is a proposal to create bureaucracy, not invent superweapons. This is gets left out of so much of the coverage and bears repeating. It’s about much less space opera sounding things like who inside DOD operates the GPS satellite constellation. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/139 "2018-06-26T22:08:03Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Isn’t the problem with stationing laser weapons in space orbit that such weapons require utterly enormous amounts of electrical power, so much so that they are impractical to put on a satellite (unless it’s a huge sat that has an onboard nuclear reactor or something?) > [@eschereal](#): > > I see you mentioned “_targeting the enemy down below_”. You honestly think that is feasible? Because, my understanding of laser physics suggests that you have no clue here and ought not be promulgating the thing that this board is aimed at fighting. In fact, I even doubt the real feasibility of using lasers on asteroids. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Do you know what an LM2500 turbine engine is, how much it weighs, and how many of them have been put in space? Who are you going to listen to? Some egghead scientist with all of his ivory tower educamacated book learn’n? or are you going to listen to a true blue American who doesn’t take know for an answer and thinks with his gut. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_lining](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Silver\_lining](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_lining)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/140 "2018-06-26T23:54:51Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I see you mentioned “_targeting the enemy down below_”. You honestly think that is feasible? Because, my understanding of laser physics suggests that you have no clue here and ought not be promulgating the thing that this board is aimed at fighting. In fact, I even doubt the real feasibility of using lasers on asteroids. I bet many like you laughed at the ideas of using balloons in war, yet look at the air force now. The same type of thinkers said going to the moon was impossible. You can look up the navy laser weapons on youtube. Verison 1.0 if you will, and use whatever image you have to see where they can lead to. And while you’re at it look up magnetic rail gun weaponry. Yes, I do think you can hit targets below from space. If this board has archives going back to the 1990’s, I bet there are plenty of threads where people used humor and were proven dead wrong decades. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341/141 "2018-06-26T23:56:28Z")
If it’s a good idea, why isn’t the Air Force doing it? And if they are, why do we need a Space Force? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wants-a-us-space-force/816341.md?page=8)